


Glide Me Towards You

by lizwontcry



Category: Succession (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Missing Scenes, and the rest of the gang - Freeform, boat hijinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 02:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21245894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizwontcry/pseuds/lizwontcry
Summary: Lately it's gotten so exhausting, waking up ridiculously early in the morning to find out what shitstorm she'll be managing for the day, and whose side she's going to be on at that particular hour, or which member of the Roy family will need her the most. She's fairly confident she won't be the one Logan sacrifices to pay for the cruises scandal, but who even knows anymore? She wants something tonight, and she is going to find it in Roman's room.They're trying to figure out if this is just a crush, a business partnership, both, or something else entirely.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been almost 3 weeks since the finale and I am still Succession trash. If you're reading this, I feel like you can relate. Thanks to [Vilecreatures](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vilecreatures/pseuds/vilecreatures) for the super awesome notes and beta helpfulness. Kudos and feedback are appreciated and welcomed!

_Hold on to the thread_  
The currents will shift  
Glide me towards you  
know something's left  
And we're all allowed  
To dream of the next  
Oh,  
oh the next, time we touch  
\- Pearl Jam - Oceans -

**BEFORE**

There’s something about being on a luxurious yacht, in the middle of Croatia, on a clear, peaceful evening. Gerri finds herself pondering certain things she hasn’t considered that much before a few weeks ago--certain _people._

She can't help but think about the fact that Roman's room is just two doors down from hers. Frank is in the room between them but Gerri knows for a fact that he takes two Ambien every single night and could sleep through a zombie apocalypse. Then she wonders why she cares about Frank not hearing anything that may or may not go down in Roman's room.

Without thinking about it too much, Gerri gets up from her desk--where she's been pouring over her laptop with ATN muted on the TV (she doesn’t dare watch PGM with Logan so close by) as usual--and finds herself slowly creeping out of her room. It's almost midnight and she wonders what she'll say if she passes anyone on this short journey down the hallway, with her pajamas on and make-up mostly worn off, barefoot. 

Thankfully, nobody is out wandering like she is in the middle of the night. Gerri knocks softly on Roman's door. Most of the time, Gerri has a plan or a reason or a motive to do just about anything. This has become like second nature to her after working for Logan for so long. But right now, after getting a little tipsier than she'd prefer and feeling vulnerable because of the current state of the Logan Roy empire, she just... kind of wants to see Roman. Talk to a friendly face, which is what he has now become for her. Lately it's gotten so exhausting, waking up ridiculously early in the morning to find out what shitstorm she'll be managing for the day, and whose side she's going to be on at that particular hour, or which member of the Roy family will need her the most. She's fairly confident she won't be the one Logan sacrifices to pay for the cruises scandal, but who even knows anymore? She wants something tonight, and she is going to find it in Roman's room.

Roman takes his time answering the door, but when he does finally open it and sees that it's Gerri on the other side of it, he smiles. He smiles like a little boy on Christmas day, she thinks? Gerri only has daughters, thank goodness. Otherwise this would be even weirder than has already been established. 

As Gerri enters his room, she can’t quite believe how much nicer it is than hers. It’s double the size of the first New York City apartment she and Baird rented when they first moved to the city. Gerri has become accustomed to the finer things after working with Logan for so long, but this is truly astounding. Everything is gold marble with finest intricate details added. Only the best for the Roys.

Gerri finds one of many plush couches in the room and situates herself. Roman, without commenting for once, goes to the bar (of course there’s a bar in his room) and makes her a Scotch on the rocks. She takes it gratefully and drinks it quickly while Roman watches with a somewhat evil grin. She also notices that he’s drinking a Coke instead of an alcoholic beverage. _Interesting,_ she thinks.

“Welcome to my room,” Roman says in the way only he can, which makes it sound both disgusting and enticing. “Isn’t this a fucking interesting role reversal? Now the fucker becomes the fuckee.” Gerri rolls her eyes. She’s still trying to sort out the idiot perv, never-take-anything-seriously Roman she’s known forever from the more mature, post-kidnapping, more business savvy man before her. If she had to choose, she supposes both sides of his personality are at least somewhat appealing. Otherwise she would have shut down his obvious flirtations, his obnoxious phone calls, his late night visits a long time ago. Right?

Instead of sitting on the couch next to her like a normal person, Roman sits across from her, in front of the fireplace below the huge plasma TV. Obviously there's a fireplace. Gerri's room doesn't have a fireplace.

Gerri decides not to waste time on pleasantries. “I heard about Turkey. That you don’t think the money is real. Karl can’t stop bragging about what you did out there, and your dad is impressed that you sniffed out the bullshit.”

Roman shrugs. “It’s no big deal. Those fucking cockheads were full of shit and anyone with half a dick could have figured it out.”

“That may be true, but still… this is important, Roman. You’re going to prove a lot of people wrong about you.

She can see the slightest hint of a smile form on his tired face. Not that she’d ever tell him, but she kind of likes having the power to make him smile like that. 

“Fuck people. I’ve been here this whole fucking time.”

Gerri shakes her head. “No, Rome, you haven’t. I’ve also been around for a while and only in the last year have I seen you be this motivated about the business. No matter what happens tomorrow with your dad and the shareholders and everyone else, you’ve got this. You’ll certainly land on your feet. I have faith in you.”

This is the exact opposite of how she’s been talking to him lately and they both know it. It’s kind of funny how she’s either berating him and everything he stands for, or complimenting his new leadership skills. There’s hardly an in-between.

Roman takes a long drink of his Coke before he speaks. “I just want to make him proud,” he says softly, and Gerri feels a strange sensation in her stomach. She can’t describe it and doesn’t want to. Because it’s like… no, she can’t, and don’t ask her to. 

If nothing else, she knows what it’s like to want Logan’s approval, although after a certain point, she doesn’t really give a shit anymore. She knows all the right things to say and do to keep his attention, but underneath it all, she realizes it’s all bullshit. Someday she hopes Roman will figure this out, but until then, he has to get there himself.

“You are, Rome. You’re making us all proud.”

Roman gets up from the fireplace and finagles another Coke out of the refrigerator. Gerri tries not to be a nag about his caffeine consumption and needing sleep so he can be fresh for tomorrow’s potential blood bath.

“So… what are you doing here? It’s late. Your lady knickers all in a twist? Do you need some old-fashioned--”

“I was so worried about you,” Gerri says out of nowhere, interrupting him and surprising them both with the outburst. “When we heard about what was going on in Turkey, I was so worried I’d never see you again.”

“What, were you sad that maybe the stable boy wouldn’t be around to kick in the balls anymore?” Roman says, but she knows he’s deflecting the vulnerability of her words. A classic Roman maneuver. 

“Yes. That’s it, Roman. That’s what I was concerned about.” Maybe it’s better if she gets her shit together and stops trying to make this what it isn’t. They don’t talk about their feelings. That’s not their style. But, god, it’s late, their fates are up in the air, and so much shit has happened lately and it never seems to end. Can't they just for once...

"Can't we just for once have a civilized conversation?" Gerri blurts out again, looking at Roman, wanting him to meet her eyes, all at once sort of desperate to connect with him like an adult. 

"I promise we can forget all about it in the morning and I can go back to calling you a dipshit fuckass with no potential for making something of yourself and you can do... what you do with that information."

Roman's face softens once again. He looks like he's actually considering it.

"Fine, fine, I see your point. Come sit down here with me." He again collapses in front of the fireplace.

Gerri scoffs. She's had knee surgery twice and she's not about to go gallivanting on the floor like some kind of monster.

"I don't think so. You can sit next to me, thank you very much."

Roman sighs, but reluctantly gets up and drapes himself across the couch, his feet in her lap. She’s too tired to protest.

"I've been thinking about it," Gerri says, starting yet another conversation before finishing her last thought. She's weird tonight. But she's allowing herself that luxury, just this one time, before she has to be back on her game again in the morning.

"Thinking about that not-so-fresh-feeling you've been having lately? I hear they make a douche for that," Roman says before he can help himself. Gerri chuckles, even though she really doesn't want to.

"I've been thinking about your proposal," Gerri says, and Roman instantly comes back to life.

"Oh, yeah? I was wondering if you forgot about it. A senior moment, as they say." But she can tell he is curious what her thoughts are on the situation.

"It feels like it could be a good idea. For business purposes, of course. I'm not sure what we'd tell the rest of the family but that could get put on the back burner for as long as possible." Gerri is basically thinking out loud here, and she can tell Roman is trying his best to keep up. "I mean, you were thinking spousal privilege would be to our advantage, correct?"

Roman doesn't answer right away and Gerri knows she's said the wrong thing somehow. 

"Well, yeah. Fuck it, spousal privilege is exactly what I had in mind. What else would it be? I mean, I haven't even broken up with Tabitha yet, anyway. Strictly business, yep." He looks deflated, and Gerri realizes that spousal privilege is maybe the last thing Roman was thinking of with the proposal. 

Gerri should have known better. Roman is in his mid-thirties and yet has the emotional maturity level of a teenager. Gerri blames Caroline. She never liked Logan's second wife, who was about as warm and loving as a steak with several years worth of freezer burn. Really, with a mother like Caroline and a father like Logan, did any of the kids ever have a chance?

But really. They've had a few fascinating encounters, which Gerri secretly enjoyed. Once she hung up the phone; once Roman left the room, Gerri would turn the lights off and ponder the events that transpired in her own way. Needless to say, her vibrator has gotten a hell of a workout lately.

But more importantly, she has taken an interest in helping Roman professionally. She's been quite impressed with how he's risen to the occasion. The partnership he mentioned is intriguing to her, and she has been thinking a lot about how to make it come to fruition. However… that doesn't mean she's _in love with him,_ for fuck's sake. After losing Baird seven years ago, she's made a few attempts at dating but it's all been futile. She's way too busy to have any real social life. Although it would be easier to date someone inside Waystar Royco, someone who understands the demands of the job... but Roman? She can still remember the day he was born; she and Baird had just gotten married the month before, Baird had taken the job with Logan and the two of them were delighted to go to the hospital and meet the newest member of the Roy family. Gerri can't help that Roman seemingly has some kind of twisted crush on her. And she also can't help that spouting insults at him through the phone or a closed bathroom door turns her on more than anything else has in a long time, even since before Baird died. So maybe they have the seeds to plant something for the future, but Gerri is old fashioned--she at least wants to, like, kiss a guy before she marries him? 

"Rome, I'm not--I'm not saying it would _just_ be a business decision. But we haven't even..." Gerri shrugs. He looks so disappointed that she's not sure she can salvage this conversation now. 

"No, I get it. I'm just your boss's shitty kid that you've had to bail out of jail twice and clean up an untold number of messes for--why would you want to marry me? I fucking get it. It's nothing. Obviously."

They're both quiet for longer than Gerri would prefer.

"For the record... I just want you to know, if my dad wants to throw you overboard, I will swim out to save you," Roman says. "I mean, metaphorically, obviously. I'm not going to fucking jump off this luxury cruise ship."

"Well, thank you," Gerri says, truly touched. "I don't know how he's leaning, but I am the name on the top of the list, so... it might as well be me."

"No, that's fucking dumb. Karl or Frank or the Buttfuck Dumbshit twins Tom and Greg deserve to go before you do. And like, I'm still serious about the partnership idea, even if you don't want to get married. I have ideas. Management training was a clusterfuck but it wasn't a complete waste of time. Take me seriously, Gerri. I deserve it."

"I know you deserve it. I also have ideas. And if things get ugly, I will go to bat for you, too," Gerri says. She has no idea what Logan is capable of--would he really sacrifice one of his children? Before his stroke, she wouldn't have thought so, but now... anything goes, it seems. 

"Good to know," Roman says. He starts picking at his nails, clearly growing bored with this conversation. Gerri wants more… something, but she’s pretty sure nothing constructive is going to happen tonight. They haven't really solved anything, and Gerri feels more like an asshole than she did before she made the decision to seek him out. 

"Well... good night," Gerri says, and gets up as well. "We'll see what happens in the morning."

"It'll be a fucking slaughter," Roman agrees. "Welcome to the shitshow."

Before Gerri opens the door, she touches Roman's arm. He turns to look at her curiously, and she sees something in his eyes. It's more than just a crush. It's more than an immature lust for his father's lawyer. It's more.

"It's not nothing. The proposal--it's something. I'm not saying no. I want you to know that I'm not saying no."

Roman nods, relief or something close to it on his youthful face, but can't seem to form a sentence. 

“And Roman? Break up with Tabitha. She deserves better.”

Gerri gives him one last hopeful smile, and then disappears. Well, that didn't go how she planned, but... she's glad they were able to talk like normal people--dare she say friends?--for once in their lives. Even if their worlds come crashing down tomorrow, at least there's that.


	2. Chapter 2

__

_DURING_

Nobody is in a good mood.

Shiv and Tom went speeding off in a boat somewhere, probably to hash out what just took place. Roman _almost_ can't believe that Shiv threw her husband under the bus like that, but he isn’t actually surprised at all. He always knew Shiv has a dark side. Ever since he found out she was plotting to take over the company, nothing about his sister shocks him anymore. He's actually sort of proud of her. The career in politics notwithstanding, Shiv's urge to fuck over everyone in her path is somewhat inspiring.

Kendall is listening to his weird music and staring into nothingness, Greg seems to be brooding about being called a sprinkle, Karl and Frank are drinking and trying to forget that nobody likes them. Willa and Connor are doing everything but talking about the hideous play of hers. Everybody is doing their own thing to take their mind off the fact that Logan still hasn't announced the sacrifice. Roman doesn’t know what his dad is going to decide. It's all up in the air. He thinks he made a good case for Gerri, at least. Hopefully Logan will shit-can Karl or Frank, but really... Roman has no fucking idea. 

Roman finds himself wandering around the yacht, thinking, considering, dwelling. Actually he's only thinking about, carefully considering, and constantly dwelling over one thing. One person. And he can't seem to find Gerri anywhere, which is the real reason why he's exploring this yacht like Dora on a quest. He lost track of her after breakfast when he and Ken found a hidden corner of the yacht to talk about what the fuck just happened and to share a joint, obviously. When Roman came back from this strategy session, Gerri was nowhere to be found. 

Roman made the mistake of asking Connor if he'd seen Gerri.

"Why do you care where Gerri is?" Connor had asked grumpily. "Is she your boat mommy? The only person you cared to defend during that bloodbath?" Roman had just walked away (after giving him the double fingers) instead of dignifying him with a response, or doing what he really wanted to do, which was punch him in the dick.

Just as he’s about to give up and go for a swim, Roman finds Gerri on one of the 37 decks (or whatever, there’s just so many of them) on the yacht, putting her book back in a bag and looking like she’s on the move.

“Hey, Rome. I was just going back to my room. It’s getting warm out here.” 

“Cool, can I come with you?” He takes a shot. She chuckles, and then nods. Maybe he smoked too much pot with Kendall earlier, but he swears she’s almost seamlessly gliding down the hallways in that classy, sophisticated manner that Gerri always manages to convey so easily. He’s got it pretty bad, one could say. 

Gerri's room is not as nice as Roman’s, plus it’s ridiculously purple. So very purple. Literally everything is purple, from the comforter and sheets, to the desk chair, to the soft, velvet chaise by the windows, overlooking the calm aqua water and clear, sunny skies. Even the fucking pillows are purple.

"Wow, it looks like a vagina threw up in here," Roman says, and Gerri smiles politely at his attempt at a joke, even if it is sort of crude and vaguely sexist. He totally doesn't deserve a smile so he wonders if Gerri is off her game right now. Not that he would blame her if she is--it’s been a hellish day already and it’s barely the afternoon.

"Sit," Gerri says, and Roman takes the chair from the desk and sits in it backwards. Gerri raises her eyebrows but doesn't say anything. She plants herself on the bed facing him, and he watches as she takes her sandals off and rubs her feet. What the hell, why is that so arousing? Is he into feet now, too? 

When he manages to de-hypnotize himself from staring at her feet, he says, “So. That was fucking brutal. I mean, especially for you. Fuck Karl and fuck Connor even more, obviously. I love him but god, I fucking hate him."

"Roman. I've worked for your father a long time. You think I haven't been fired before? You think I haven't seen this all before? I've been thrown under the bus more times than I can count. All in a day's work." She says this but there's no confidence in her voice. Roman feels the kind of empathy for her that he thought he had given up on a long time ago. It's... sort of unsettling.

"Of course... of course you have. But this is different. It feels like... the final curtain or something. It has to end someday, right? Sooner rather than later? My dad can't run this thing forever."

Gerri sighs. "Yes... I suppose it is looking more bleak and foreboding than usual. It's never been quite like this before."

The two of them share a comfortable silence full of contemplation and unspoken thoughts. Roman honestly can't believe how much he has come to rely on Gerri. How much he enjoys her company; making her laugh, listening to (and taking) her advice, following her example whenever he can. And then there's the fact that she has the power to get him off with just the sound of her voice. There's that, too.

"I do want to thank you, though. I know you said you'd stand up for me, but you did so at the cost of your own personal stake. That could have turned out badly for you, Rome. So... thank you. It means a lot to me."

Roman wants to say it was no big deal; he wants to deflect the fact that this is exactly what he did and at the time he didn't care about the consequences, and honestly, he still doesn't. Part of him thinks that he would give up his seat at the table if it meant Gerri could stay longer. What the fuck? What kind of sense does that make?

He gets up from the desk chair and sits next to her on the bed. Any other day and he'd make some kind of crude remark or try to get her to insult him or something, but this day? The breakfast meeting was so mentally draining that he doesn't have it in him to even try. 

Gerri seems to sense this. In a gesture that takes them both by surprise, she takes his hand in hers, and he is suddenly grateful for the touch. "I heard your dad and Ken went to meet with Stewy. They're going to be gone a while. Maybe you want to get some sleep? We have some time before dinner…”

Roman hopes this is an invitation. An invitation to what, he's not sure, but a nap sure does sound fucking good, anyway.

"Yeah... I am pretty tired, I guess," Roman agrees. Gerri nods, and without acknowledging it, gets up and turns down the covers. Roman takes his shoes and socks off but doesn't get undressed, sensing it's not that kind of invitation. He finds himself wanting comfort more than release, anyway. Which is weird, to say the fucking least.

Roman climbs into bed, and is relieved when Gerri, after taking her own shoes off, quietly gets in as well. At first they are back to back, which Roman digs, but as he feels himself drifting off to sleep, Gerri turns around and gently puts a warm hand on his back. He touches a bare thigh under her skirt, but doesn't dare explore what else he could get away with, like he would as a teenager. Gerri isn't a teenager. Gerri is just a few years younger than his own mother. Gerri can teach him things. Oh, god, he does not want to get an erection right now. Roman hopes his feelings for Gerri will someday be less confusing... or maybe that's part of the attraction.

In any case, he gets the best sleep he has in years, in Gerri's purple bed, with her being the big spoon. He could get used to this. Fuck, that's a scary thought.

Gerri's phone alarm wakes them up a few hours later. Roman turns around to look at her, knowing that something again has shifted between them. This is real. This is not just verbal abuse in her bathroom. 

"Rome..." Gerri has a look in her eye and a softness in her voice. Roman, before he can think about it too much, leans in and kisses her. He's so used to kissing fiercely with a purpose, with a goal to convince both himself and the woman on the other end that he wants to kiss them, that he wants to connect with them physically, when actually he's pretty sure that's not what he wants at all. Kissing Gerri is... something. It's not everything. He likes it more than he hates it, anyway. If nothing else, he is enjoying her response to it. She closes her eyes and kisses him back, and makes a tiny moaning sound that radiates through his body; the hard-on makes an appearance after all.

When he pulls away slightly, she opens her eyes and grins. "That wasn't... so bad."

"No, it wasn't awful," Roman agrees, but he's a little lost. Well, a lot lost.

"Rome. I get it. It's not your thing. We'll... figure it out. I think.”

Roman knows if anyone gets it, it’s Gerri. He kind of looks forward to sorting things out with her. 

“What if… you know… we don’t figure it out?” He asks shyly. He’s never shy. It’s quite disconcerting, the way Gerri makes him feel like a little kid and a grown man all at once. Obviously that’s part of the appeal. A therapist would have a field day with Roman but he would never give anyone the satisfaction of hearing all his fucked up thoughts and childhood memories.

“Then I have a vibrator and I know what to do with it,” Gerri shrugs. “ I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a bit older than you. The ol' sex drive is not what it used to be. That’s not to say I don’t like sex or I don’t want it, but… it’s not my top priority these days.”

Roman nods, grateful that she took a moment to address the elephant in the purple room. 

Before he has a chance to make some kind of dumb comment, Gerri looks at her phone and says, “Let’s clean up before dinner. I have a feeling we’re all going to know our fates before it’s over.”

Roman turns on the TV while Gerri gets herself ready, but actually finds himself watching her instead of the re-run of Beavis and Butthead. All the women he’s been with and he’s never been so fascinated by any of them as he is with Gerri. And she knows it, too, which is both embarrassing and freeing. He doesn’t have to hide from her.

"I've been thinking about it," Gerri says from the bathroom as she brushes her hair and refreshes her make-up. "About us becoming the dream team. And I think it makes sense. We both want to accomplish the same goal, I assume. We can help each other achieve it. I truly believe that.”

Roman perks up. Finally. Someone is taking him seriously. Not just someone, but like... _his_ someone, if he can call her that? Or whatever.

"Oh, yeah? But as everyone keeps reminding me, _I lack the experience,_" he says mockingly.

"You do lack the experience, Rome. But it won't take long before you're thrown into the fire. If your father blows this company up from the inside, we can, I don't know... give it a shot. On our own."

Roman just really loves the sound of this. But...

"But what if he doesn't blow it up? What if, I don't know, he makes me COO again?"

Gerri comes out of the bathroom, struggling to put on a stubborn earring. "I've thought about that, too. I have a plan. I've been thinking of some strategies for a long time now. Your father never wanted to hear them, and Kendall brushed me off when I brought it up. I think we can rebuild the company. With some help, of course. But you and I... we _can_ be a dream team, one way or the other. With my experience and your hunger and new ideas, it can work. I truly do believe that.”

"Me, too," Roman says, truly excited and hopeful that she shares his vision, which makes him feel like a childish idiot because who even gets excited about _anything_ anymore? “Speaking of which… I talked to Sarah earlier today. She’s the gal who had the unfortunate experience of cleaning up Greg’s disgusting toe juice…”

Gerri makes a face but allows him to continue his thought.

“I also heard a rumor that Shiv wants to revisit her teenage lesbian summer camp fantasies and arrange a threesome with Sarah and Tom? Disgusting, but whatever. Anyway. We were chatting and it turns out Sarah is ordained.” Roman avoids Gerri’s eyes because he can’t take it if she isn’t looking back at him.

“Okay… meaning?” Gerri at least doesn’t sound uninterested?

“She can marry us. The captain can be our witness. Don’t worry, she’ll be fully compensated for any acts she performs for us. Shiv apparently has a similar arrangement.”

He finally looks at Gerri and she seems to be contemplating this. Although less than 24 hours ago, she was on the fence… the events of the day must have had some kind of affect on her, because Gerri nods thoughtfully.

“Okay. Yes. Let’s do it under one condition--well, many conditions, but here’s the important one--no one can know just yet. We’ll see what Logan decides and how it plays out, and then release the information to everyone else. Does that seem fair to you?”

Roman is honestly so surprised she said yes that he can’t even respond for a moment. Finally, he manages to say, “Fuck yeah. That seems fair to me.”

And that’s how Roman and Gerri find themselves getting secretly married on a yacht before heading to the dining room for dinner. Just in time for Logan to announce he’s making Kendall take the fall for his empire, and appointing Roman as sole COO. Well, everyone’s lives are certainly going to change now. But at least he’ll have Gerri by his side as it all goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- J. Smith-Cameron (Gerri) mentioned in a few interviews that she and Kieran filmed a few scenes for 2x9 and 2x10 that didn't make it to the show and I'm kind of caught up on what they must have entailed. Indeed, in between breakfast and dinner, we see what everyone else is up to except them. What were they doing?!! I want to know. So I wrote about it instead.
> 
> \- I took the descriptions of the rooms from this website about the yacht they were on - https://www.boatinternational.com/charter/luxury-yachts-for-charter/solandge--95461  
I didn't just make up the purple room!
> 
> \- Thanks again for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

__

_AFTER_

As to be expected, Kendall's press conference starts a whole new shitstorm for Waystar Royco and the Roy family. Even before the boat docks, Gerri is on the phone with anyone and everyone, raising her voice, listening, yelling, listening. She can see that Roman doesn't exactly know what his responsibilities are now as COO of a sinking ship, but he's doing the best he can to hold on for dear life.

As weeks go by, everyone is busy, everyone is deflecting blame, and Roman is surprising everyone with how he's weathering the storm. Gerri is a constant presence; talking him through what to say, what to do, who to speak to--all while handling her end of the legal bullshit that never seems to end. It feels like she falls asleep more at the office these days than at home, but at least Roman is there with her, too. Often they'll fall asleep on the sofa in his office together, after a tiny make-out session and the promise of more to come... eventually.

Kendall releases the documents that Greg provided for him and Logan is, as they say, fucked. Logan has to testify and defend his company yet again. This whole situation obviously causes a rift between Shiv, Kendall and Roman (while Connor watches, since he’s broke and useless), but after a few months, they manage to get back on the same page. Roman asks Shiv to help with PR while they weather this storm and she reluctantly agrees, while Kendall stays in the background, assisting his brother and sister as much as he can without trying to attract attention after blowing everything up. 

Before the whole place runs off the rails, the board appoints Gerri as CEO while Logan is on trial. She and Roman put their combined ideas in place, and they are surprisingly effective. For once, Waystar Royco is not considered a dinosaur company with no new ideas. The public starts to take them seriously again. 

Roman tells his family one by one about his marriage to Gerri and they all take it a bit differently.

“What?! She’s like… your mother. She literally _is_ my godmother. I knew you were fucked up, but I didn’t realize how much,” Shiv had said. Roman thinks she’s just bitter since Tom resigned from his position and then left Shiv shortly after. But he politely keeps that to himself, at least until he can use it the most effectively against her.

“Gross,” was Kendall’s reaction at first. When Roman and Gerri had dinner with Kendall and Naomi a few weeks later, Ken took Roman aside and said, “I get it, though. She’s hot and you’re weird. It’s a perfect fit.” After that, they all spent a lot more time together.

They decide not to tell Logan just yet. He’s got enough to worry about for the time being.

As for the marriage, it hasn’t exactly been consummated yet. They’re both too busy to take the time and figure out if that’s even possible. But ever since moving in together, they have come to a bit of compromise. On late nights when they go home and don’t immediately crash in bed, Gerri will do her thing and call Roman a horrendous maggot shitfuck with a fucked up head and he’ll get off. Then they’ll get the vibrator out for her turn, and it turns out that Roman has discovered a brand new fetish. It works for them. For now.

A few months after Kendall’s press conference, it’s close to midnight and Gerri, Roman, Frank, Karl, and a few other Waystar minions just ended a meeting to discuss purchasing another media company similar to Vaulter, but this one actually makes money and would be a good next step for Waystar. After the room clears out, Roman inches his chair closer to Gerri. At work, although everyone knows by now that they are married, they try to maintain some level of professionalism. Which means nobody bats an eye when Roman occasionally smacks her ass when he walks by (he can’t help it--it’s a great ass) or when Gerri calls him an “incompetent piece of trash” when she thinks no one is listening. 

Gerri smiles wearily at him. “I guess it’s another all-nighter. I’m getting too old for this.”

“Me too,” Roman says, and she shakes her head. Their age difference is not a big deal, but sometimes it is.

Gerri sighs and slowly picks up her notepad, but she doesn’t get up and go back to her office. 

“Too tired to move? I can bring the vibrator from your office…” He’s kidding, unless she’s in the mood…

Gerri chuckles. “No, thanks. I’ll get up in a second. It’s just been a long week.” 

“Do you want some coffee? I bought some of that hazelnut fuckery you insist on pouring in there. If we’re going to be up for a while, we might as well caffeinate ourselves.”

“That sounds nice, Rome, thanks. I love you for getting that for me. I haven’t made it to the store lately.”

The two of them pause and look at each other strangely. 

“You just said… that you love me.” Roman doesn’t hear that phrase very often, and when he does, it takes a lot for him to trust the words at all. But from Gerri… he believes it somehow.

“Well. Yes. I did say that.” Gerri nods, and doesn’t even look embarrassed or guilty or regretful that she said it. “Married people do occasionally admit that they love each other from time to time.”

Roman grins. “But we haven’t… yet. I do love you, though. I mean, obviously.”

Gerri grins back at her husband. “I know, Rome. Don’t worry. I get it.”

They leaned in and kissed, a nice kiss that held some kind of intriguing promise for the future. 

Roman rises to go get Gerri, his wife, her coffee. 

Because she loves him.

_You don't have to stray_  
The oceans away  
Waves roll in my thoughts  
Hold tight the ring  
The sea will rise  
Please stand by the shore  
Oh, oh, oh, I will be  
I will be there once more 


End file.
